Driving at Night ‘Anywhere but Here’
You can submerge and dive deep in Anywhere but Here. Every hidden flavor and shade of colors that a melody is capable of holding is being expressed fully here. No stone left unturned, and no details were muddied or altered. Anywhere but Here is a reverberant, rich album full of imagination and feelings. Driving at Night’s music feels like a really well-written book. You’re not just here to enjoy the fansy sounds but to experience a whole world, wrapped up in sounds. From the most pent-up emotions to the most wonderful tenderness to unspoken words and screamed-out exclaims, their music is full of life and soul. You want to live in the world they create, feeling those resonances from the soundscapes and melodies rippling waves of goosebumps.
With a beautiful, tender touch of melancholy. “Nylon” carries a fuzzy edge of distortion. Mood-filled melodies come in your ears in fragments, being stretched long and board in the background. The foreground isn’t something palpable, but it might well be. Driving at Night captures loneliness and melancholia in a profound way, blowing up in noise-coiled catharsis at breaking point. Even though no words were sung in this track, you can clearly a soaring scream coming at you from every corner of the soundscapes. It’s gritty and hard-hitting, even though it remains immersive and picturesque.
“For K” is a big knot of pent-up feelings. Joined by frustration and unspoken words, there’s a hint of sentiment glistening in in the shimmering melodies. “Willow Tree” then takes you to a battle field. At times, you’re at the highest of the tide, and at times, it calls upon fight, but in the end, you’ll find where you belong. The track ends on a tearful note that feels as keen as coming home after a long journey.
“Anything but Here” is a track with high contrast. An edge of avant garde and distortion thrown into a cathartic, straight-forward motion. Lens shifts between the inner and outer world, the track evokes a sense of “one man against the world” solitude, navigating a thrilling and cleasning route. The instrumental throws punches that burn in flame but as nourishing as the rain. Like a hypnotic, noise-wrapped ritual, where demons and angsts are being released in escalation.
Anything but Here is a lot of things, but most importantly, it showcases the capability and range of the post-rock band. Eclectic, picturesque, moody and immersive, the ablum is everything you wish for to be played into your ears.
Punk Head: You guys have just released a full-length album in March. Now coming back with a EP full of new materials. Tell us more about your process. Is there a connection between the album and the EP?
Driving At Night: The album we released was a collection of songs that we wrote over the past several years, some of our favorites and some of our remixes. We put out about 25 singles, and these were our favorites. The EP consisted of newer songs, we wanted to showcase some different dynamics on this one.
PH: Where did you find the inspirations?
Driving At Night: We derive inspiration from everyday anxiety and the things we all go thru. Just hope to relate to people thru various struggles.
PH: What is your personal favorite song from the EP and why?
Driving At Night: We love “Anywhere but Here.” Felt like a different vibe for us, emotions from uncertainty and fear, but with a dash of hope.
PH: What has been one of the most significant moments of your musical journey so far?
Driving At Night: Our best moments are playing together and writing new songs. Those organic moments are what we live for. Looking forward to sharing with more people.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Driving At Night: We really just want to connect with people live, sharing that experience with people is what making music is all about.
Bingo Boys “Freak Out and Leave”
Indianapolis punk band Bingo Boys returns with retro angsty fourth album. Freak Out and Leave is a collection of ‘90s-sounding garage punk tracks pumping through in one set. Raged with a distorted sonic palettes, cooked in punchy fast pace, Freak Out and Leave tackles themes from boredom, dissatisfaction to failure and other problems that a young person can easily relate to. Taking place in the midst of an intense discussion between the self and the rest of the world, Freak Out and Leave is in the midst of chaos and passion, beaming authenticity.
Eccentric and flaming, Freak Out and Leave never runs out of sparks. From dark distortion and illusive vocals sprawling in noise-coiled grunge atmosphere to high-contrast abstract mind-daze to heavy-hitting headbangers, the album reminds you everything about the 90s bands you grew up listening. Rebellious and unapologetic, having issues but never compromise—their music has an edge, an attitude that you love and hate.
From guitar to vocals to production, Freak Out and Leave sees the maturity of their craft, but rest assure, no creative direction has been changed. They are just getting better at being themselves. Everything that lives and breathes in their music is even more alive in their fourth album.
Henka “Caught Up”
Henka explores the depth of emotions in the epic new single “Caught Up,” unraveling the darkness and heartache of betrayal. With thundering bass intertwining heart-stopping melodies, a love that is destined to be crumbles to meet its tragic end. Heartwrenching vocals stir a ripple of dark waves in the wake of truth and clarity. Beautiful harmonies in echo with instrumental swells.
“Caught Up” is therapeutic and cathartic. It’s for anyone who has gotten their hearts broken and left to lick their wounds alone. Henka proves that the process of healing can be empowering and powerful. Instead of being the victim, she rises up and takes control of her story, and in the process, she creates a song as drastic as the tides and as intimate as a diary can go.
She brings listeners together, through tearful moments, facing the deepest and hardest truths and healing traumas from the past. “Caught Up” is one of the best offerings from Henka yet. Her own brand of dark synth and metal rock evokes epic visualization of picturesque soundscapes and profound emotional connection.
Hungry “The Jig”
Hungry, one of Manchester’s brightest rising acts, is out with a punk hit. “The Jig,” armed with buzzsaw noise gate and blood-boiling riffs. Raw vocals ripple with political head and heart. “The Jig” has something to say about corruption, dishonesty and embezzlement in the world, and it says it loud with no holding back. Fueled by machine gun rhythm and hard-hitting thoughtfulness, “The Jig” is a song of protest and a wake-up call in the shape of a sonic carnival.
“What has inspired the song? It’s 13 years of Conservative rule and a neoliberal orthodoxy that has given the UK a callout and self-righteous ruling class that views anyone beneath as overdramatic and lazy,” said Frontman Jacob Peck, who is also the mastermind behind “The Jig.” “It seems of late that the governmental system may be revealing itself, one of corruption, dishonesty, and embezzlement. In many ways, the lyrics call for a collective consciousness of that.”
Rebellions scream loud, but it screams at those who provide the reasons. Energetic, highly relatable, and more than ever captivating. “The Jig” puts Hungry at the top of the world while rooting for the underdogs. It makes sense that their music would take off in only a few months after the Cambridgeshire-native jam-kicking four-piece entered Manchester’s atmosphere. It’s stirring. It’s sweaty. It’s loud and disillusioned. They make your mind clearer and your heart pumping.
Led by Peck, the buzz-starting four-piece is complete by drummer Stan Rankin, guitarist Kit Thomas and bassist Jas Malig. “The Jig” is aided by producer Dean Glover, whose hands have blissfully touched cult punk legends such as The Membranes and Inca Babies. He captures the unbending energy of Hungry and gives them a juicy push full of edges and thrones.
WIREHOUND ‘the anatomy of a thought undone’
The anatomy of a thought undone has the marking of one of the best music in the scene. For one, from the first sound, you know this is a profound album filled with songs that deserves to be made and deserves even more to be heard. This album from Wirehound will not leave you untouched. From tear-jerking ballads to cathartic, stormy rock anthems to mesmerizing pop sensations, the anatomy of a thought undone is an album that changes you. It makes you shiver from your souls with the turmoil and pain it once walked and sheds light to long-deserted places in your heart.
Wirehound’s sound has a universal appeal, which seems even more fitting to the messages they envisioned to send and the stories they share. Every song makes you feel something. They draw you into a different state, a peculiar challenge, but no matter how impossible it seems, you can always find a way out—that’s the spirit of Wirehound and the anatomy of a thought undone. These are probably some of darkest lyrics you’ve heard, but not because they tackle dark topics. It’s the pain and weight they carry in order for them to be heard.
The contrast of deep pain and bright force of light is so brilliantly intertwined. The album features songs that evoke deep feelings in your bones and make you tear up. With these songs, you only hope they’d last longer. You can feel it in the epic turmoil and drastic the danger it once in and the loss it has faced, but no soul is lost. The darkness isn’t gazing back to you anymore. Here, the darkest has been overcome. Instead of dragging you down, the music transcends the bad and lifts you up. There’s so many worth-remembering moments in these songs that you have to experience yourself.
The mastermind behind Wirehound also has been through some of the toughest things in life. From the rolling of deaths within the family to an accident to surviving and recovering from the indescribable pain of CRPS, the album the anatomy of a thought undone walks through time to listeners’ ears.
Punk Head: I love how the songs in this album are like phoenix rising from ash and flame. Can you tell us more about the creative process?
Paul: Absolutely! Thank you so much for the great questions. There is an unbelievable amount of work and planning that went into this album. I wrote the title track and the closing track back in about 1999, when I was 17 years old. From then, I knew it was gonna be a theme album and I knew what the story was. I also knew that, to me, these songs were special—I knew I couldn’t waste them. They had to be saved for the right time and the right team.
When Jason and I were recording “sleep all day” back in 2005-06, I was planning on the anatomy of a thought undone being our second album. But with the deaths in my family and the anxiety/trauma I experienced, the album got shelved for what I thought was forever. I especially believed this after I became so disabled I could barely walk and could no longer hold a guitar without agonizing pain.
After my miraculous surgery and recovery, Jason was one of the first people on the phone, checking up on me. We have always been brothers. To me, he is family and I’d run through walls for him. So when he told me it was time to record our first real album if I was healthy enough, I told him I would work tirelessly to get ready. Jason had found Corey Zack, this genius producer in Jersey City. We could have real strings and horns. And it would be perfect.
I immediately knew this was the album we had to do. I started doing 2 hours of physical therapy, 5 days a week. I had to get myself ready—in the space of a few months I had to transform myself from someone who couldn’t stand for more than 10 minutes, unable to drive with his bad leg, to someone who could drive 3 hours and spend 25 hours in the studio, working my butt off, over the course of 2 days. It seemed impossible, but Jason and my family believed in me, so I worked harder than I thought I could.
I started putting the track order together in February of last year. I called in every favor I had from the best musicians I have been lucky enough to befriend and got Eben Seaman to fly in from Iowa to play his brand of virtuosic piano, with Rick Birmingham coming from upstate NY to provide some of the best guitar solos I’ve heard in my life. My wife, Dana Wenzel, was also kind enough to come and lend her beautiful soprano to our sessions.
We began recording on May 20th, 2022. Jay laid down all of his drum tracks and I played all the bass parts that first weekend. From then, we would meet about one weekend a month to keep putting things down. I did most of the guitar, bass, and vocals. Jason played all the drums. And then Eben did almost all the piano/keys, with Rick and Corey adding some beautiful solos. Corey also knew these absolutely incredible string and horn players who came in and added so much weight to the album. Even though I can’t write or read music, I was able to get the sound files of the parts to Eben who, as part of his genius, transcribed everything perfectly.
Needless to say, Corey was everything Jason told me and more. Together, we took these ideas that had been bouncing around my head for 20+ years and turned them into something that, I think, is timeless. Something that truly believe is one of the best debut albums of all time.
PH: This album didn't come easily and certainly a lot of challenges were faced and overcame in the process. What is the one lesson you'd like to share with your fans?
Paul: I think the lesson is simple: never give up. My CRPS is nicknamed the suicide disease because it’s a pain demon that never let’s go of you and, for the most part, there is nothing you can do—no medicine. No exercise. Nothing. You just have to watch it get worse every day of your life, and try your best to hang on. I have so much to live for, and so much to be grateful for, but I had many, many moments where my thoughts got very dark. But I never gave up. I just held out hope that, one day, something would happen. And I would get better.
And, due to a crazy series of decisions I made to make the best of my disability, I was watching TV at 1am one day and saw a commercial for a doctor. A doctor who was a specialist in my rare condition. And not just that- he was the doctor who goes around the country teaching other doctors how to do a spinal procedure that helps reset the pain signal, and reduces the pain to a still tragic, but manageable level.
I spent many hours sitting on my sofa, unable to walk to the next room, thinking about all the things I would never get to do. All the journeys I’d never get to experience. All the little moments I couldn’t help my son get through.
Looking in the abyss, seeing darkness behind you, it’s easy to quit. But I tell you this- never ever give in. Never ever give up. It may take some time. It may be subtle or only partially answers your prayers- but there’s always hope and there’s always ways to find meaning and joy in your life.
Jason: That you need to make time in your life to add things into the world that make it a better place (even if it is ever so slightly). We spend so much time chasing money sometimes that we lose sight of what the world needs more of right now. That is beauty, compassion, love etc. For some reason of late, these things have become terms related to weakness when it’s the polar opposite. If one sad person feels happiness from what we created, all that time and hardship to get this record done will be well worth it.
I would also like to add that musical trust is so hard to find as an artist. I know Paul cherishes his work and knows what he wants, while I have confidence in my playing and artistic input. Those two things can be conflicting counterproductive forces. Playing with someone and creating for more than 20 years has an extra developed trust that should never be taken for granted. I think you can hear that trust in the music. With that trust, and ego's aside, is where true beauty can be created.
PH: Who are your favorite artists and why?
Paul: For me, the greatest living songwriters are Brian Wilson and Joanna Newsom. I don’t think anyone really comes close to their depth and brilliance in every aspect of composition. My favorite band is Radiohead, for similar reasons. I love all types of music though, and spend hours a day listening to everything from Run the Jewels to Garth Brooks to Tame Impala to KT Tunstall to Fleet Foxes.
Jason: I don't think I have a favorite, but always need to refer to Bach who tempered all of modern music and then The Beatles for doing some really great song writing with it all. My musical pallet is way too diverse to name favorites and so is my actual pallet since I don't have a favorite dish. I love good food and good music and am so grateful to be in a world with both.
PH: If you were stranded on a desert island and could only take one song or album to listen to, what would it be?
Paul: I am the rare person for whom this answer is easy and immediate—if could take one album, it is Have One On Me the triple album magnum opus from Joanna Newsom. If I could take one song it would be “I Know” by Fiona Apple, though “two headed boy, pt. 2” by Neutral Milk Hotel is a close 2nd.
Jason: Its close, between Mozart's “Jupiter Symphony” and Coltrane's “A Love Supreme.”
PH: What motivates you as a band?
Jason: What motivates me is the friendship, through thick and thin, that prevails, and the chemistry that's shared that is so hard to find in anything else on Earth. We have been at this a long time and have stuck to our sound. Paul wrote some of these songs before I knew him (and I have known him for over 2 decades). The fact that they sound like they could have been written yesterday makes me realize how timeless they are and how fortunate I am to be a part of it.
Finding Corey this time around was the final piece of the puzzle, not to mention all the talent that was brought in to complete the layers. The cosmic magnet at its center to make it all happen is the closest thing to REAL magic that I have ever experienced and if that's not motivating then what is?
Paul: I have to say that I really agree with Jay and so many of the points he’s made here. For me, I’m motivated by our friendship that turned us into family. I’m motivated by these amazing musicians we surrounded ourselves with on this album—from Corey to Rick to Eben and everyone else that contributed in any way. I’m motivated by the hope that these songs will get heard and that, somewhere, there’s gonna be even one person who finds strength or solace there. I’m motivated by the memory of my dad - our three fathers have all passed, and this album is dedicated to the memory of Corey, Jason, and my fathers. I’m motivated by my family—wanting to show my sons that, when I say you have to fight and not give up, it’s not just words —their dad worked his heart out to get this done. Despite the odds. And the look on my son’s face the first time he heard Annabelle makes it all worth it
Alterlight “Free”
“Free” looks at breakup with a new outlook. Instead of dwelling on what was lost, it looks forward to the future and its endless possibilities. “Free,” with its intoxicating groove, radiating positive energy, spinning in smooth and luscious soundscapes, is an ode to freedom and marks the end for a conflictual relationship. Freeing and eccentric, the single pumps up your day and gives you something to sing and smile about.
Alterlight’s song is evocative in so many different levels. Emotionally recharging, and physically inviting—you can’t help move your body along the groove. Their captivating and humble hook get you humming without knowing. Like the sonic cocktail of summer beach party mixed with night allure, the sound of Coldplay meets Muse.
But one thing that makes Alterlight different from other pop act is the unmistakable rock edge in their sonic palette. “Free” features a sprinkle of sensuously delicious riff that pulls your heartstring. Just like the way they make you sing, you’re so lost in the music to even realize what’s happening. Their guitar riffs have a very unique and eccentric palette that feels both comforting and charismatic. They are the heart in Alterlight’s music, dancing energetically, weaving emotive intricacy into the texture.
“Free” is an immersive and evocative experience that makes you want to stay in there forever.
Read our interview with the band and learn more about their creative process.
Punk Head: I love your unique blend of sounds and how it's both edgy and captivating. What was the inspiration behind "Free?"
Alterlight: “Free” is the last track on our new EP Fragments.
It's a positive conclusion to the EP. When we go through difficult times, renewal comes. This can be after the end of a relationship, for example. Free is a positive anthem for freeing ourselves from all negative constraints.
PH: What did you enjoy most about making this track?
Alterlight: The song was written by Stephane (the drummer) and myself (paolo/singer). We started with an old demo that was very different from what it would sound like. Sharing ideas in the home studio and then working with Stromae's producer was quite magical. We think that the positive energy of the recording process is quite evident in the song.
PH: What is your creative vision as a band?
Alterlight: We created the band around my imagination, and then the band members entered this universe. Now we create with the aim of arousing emotions. We all have very diverse musical influences that we like to distill into our music. We try to bring out a coherent sound that represents Alterlight.
PH: What has been, so far, your favorite song to perform and why?
Alterlight: “Free” is a lot of fun to play, because people can sing along quite easily. There are always great exchanges with the audience at our concerts. but there's also Burial, which is quite an emotionally gripping track.
PH: What is the one thing that you’d like your fans to know about you?
Alterlight: We're passionate about what we do, and we're ready to lift mountains to play all over the world. We're people who love human encounters above all else.
Collapsed Tower ‘Happiness is Transient, Melancholy Is Permanent’
Collapsed Tower takes on a rather inventive approach to its post-metal roots in their latest instrumental record Happiness if Transient, Melancholy is Permanent. Without massively and lengthily produced tracks, the album stays true to simplicity and its eccentric nature. All shades of heavy music enrich the record. Styles such as doom metal, hardcore punk and post rock can be heard scattered in different songs.
Collapsed Tower immerses you with a variety of riff-driven tracks each reflects on a peculiar thought in connection to emotions that naturally emerged in the past two years. Happiness Is Transient, Melancholy is Permanent proves that sounds can speak louder than words. Like a collage of mood-filled, picturesque snapshots, record documents moments of fragility and intricacy, epic and at times, euphoria.
From emotions and real-like circumstances, Happiness is Transient, Melancholy is Permanent also goes above what meets the eyes. There are clearly traces of fantasy and imagination being intertwined with the fundamental reality we could all relate to, but the creative pursuit, the twists and unexpected and the new is what transcends and sets the reality free. Happiness is Transient, Melancholy is Permanent is no doubt an introspective and emotive record, but it’s also an eclectic adventure full of surprises.
Tom Auton “Go Back”
“Go Back” features a characteristic Tame Impala guitar riffs against a dark atmosphere. The pulsation and movements of the song’s grooviness then confronts the inescapable spiral storytelling. Crawling out from the dark corner where one spends dwelling on one’s own mistakes, “Go Back” explores the concept of overthinking and being trapped in your own creation of mental prison.
Like Muse meets Royal Blood meets sprawling psychedelia, the latest release from Tom Auton is an ever-evolving audio-visual masterpiece that amusingly fuses rock, ambient, noise and pop in a sonic cauldron. Known for creating something extraordinary out of thin air, Auton takes full creative control over his project. From crafting sounds to sculpting layers to giving everything a final retouch, “Go Back” was created and produced from Auton’s home studio.
In 2018, his hit single “Mother Mary” sealed his status as one of UK’s most exciting up coming rock acts. The artist ventures into 2023 with the plans to release more original material. With four new singles and an EP on the way. From May to July, Auton will showcase “Go Back” on three shows and five festivals.
trouble bunny “M.D.L.”
trouble bunny comes back with another socially sensitive lo-fi pop piece, “M.D.L,” tapping into body dysmorphia, the unspoken insecurity and intense pressure behind popular social media phrase many use to accompany their selfie, “felt cute, might delete later.” Unlike the rest that smiles and overlooks the true meaning hidden from each photo, trouble bunny takes listeners to a look behind the scene.
The real world is not picture perfect. It’s far from that, but that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Everything and everyone has their unique beauty, no one and nothing should convince them otherwise. “M.D.L.” is dedicated to those who silently suffer from body dysmorphia. Inspired by her own struggle and those close to her’s, trouble bunny, through her sensuous and captivating lofi pop soundscapes, transforms everyday observation into a relatable song that sheds light and raises awareness around mental health issues that spike along side of picture perfect trend that in recent years rises across social platforms. Trouble bunny sends all her listeners a heartwarming love letter with “M.D.L.,” letting them know that they are beautiful just the way they are.
“M.D.L.” Isn’t just a form of self-expression. trouble bunny’s music is for her listeners. She cares about them, and music then becomes an effective mean to voice changes. There’s so much heart that goes into the lyrics and soundscapes of her music, along with her creative, unique twist adding to the genre of pop.
Chet Bucke “Spring Is Not My Friend”
“Spring Is Not My Friend” is a symbolic knot of transformation, one between death and life. A few years ago, Chet Bucke lost a person close to him in Spring, the season of rebirth and hope. In the wake of a profound loss and navigating grief, the song flows out of him. Gentle and tender. Earthy and ethereal. “Spring Is Not My Friend” weaves the intricate turning of heaviness and loss into light and hope. Through its scenic and cinematic shifts of sonic landscapes, the song touches different stages of grief as perspective changes, strength emerges.
The duality of light and darkness is so subtly and meaningfully represented in this track. The third single from Chet Bucke feels like a feather landed in the palm of your hand—it’s soft and magical, but the weight it bears is the weight of life. The lyrics are moving and tear-jerking, in the light of its folkloric synthscape and drone-like introspection.
In contemplation, he seems to be in deep conversation with himself, but every word splatters a ripple in your heart. In the end, the song goes back to unconditional love and appreciation, knowing that each encounter is a blessing. “I hold on to the knowledge that I’ve said goodbye in the most meaningful way possible,“ said Bucke. “I feel ready for the Summer.”
“Spring Is Not My Friend” is not just a song. It walks you through a journey of transformation, allowing you to find strength in the season forward.
The Hybris “The Game Of Cat And Mouse”
“The Game Of Cat And Mouse” darts across the globe wearing capes of dark knight palettes, hitting hard rock, shooting out retro comic webs to fight villains and wicked forces. Though The Hybris have always been a force of anti-heroes, fast-paced, undeterred, thrilling, breath-taking,and just in time for a crime rescue, “The Game Of Cat And Mouse” sees them really stepping into their superhero persona—that’s what they are, saving the world with their grits and wits.
“The Game Of Cat And Mouse” continues the heroes’ journey, arriving more than ever timely, speaking out and aloud about social disparity and injustice. Unlike the punks who fight powers with torches and riots, rushing in heart-racing backbeats, The Hybris are more vigilant and aggressive. Due to the nature of crime, the measure of extreme is called upon. Laced with metal, charged by the raw attitude of punk, and at last, not forget a hint of grace and style to separate them from unmannered ravagers, “The Game Of Cat And Mouse” is a mixture of precision, captivity, brutal honesty and in-your-face rawness.
They don’t have to explain anything to anyone, they see a problem and are simply here to do something about it.
The latest track sees a maturity and confidence in The Hybris’ sound. In the past, one can always spot the ghosts in their sound—sometimes, you find a section that beams out a Red Hot Chilli Pepper vibe, or in the other times, you begin to compare them with My Chemical Romance, Joy Division, Billy Talent and such. “The Game Of Cat And Mouse” is completely The Hybris. They remind you of no one but themselves, the hard rock superheroes here to save the world, at the same time, save your ears from bad music.
Things That Fly ‘Things That Fly’
Things That Fly captures your heart with chiming lyrical rhymes and nourishing, imaginative soundscapes, flashing nostalgic fuzzy 90s rock aesthetic. The captivating EP from the band Things That Fly is filled with charming songs. Free-spirited, spicy and noise-coiled melodic sensation in the company of clashing percussions and reverberant guitarscapes. Grit and creativity is being intricately woven together.
Things That Fly has a sort of distant and rainy feel that resembles the soundscapes drawn by PJ Harvey. It burns with pop and angst like Avril Lavigne and haunting grunge vibe as Nirvana. The pinch of melodic fierceness also reminds you something of Paramore’s. The album no doubts evokes many familiar feelings, as if ghosts joining up for a dance, but there’s also something new and refreshing happening there. Things That Fly isn’t like the rest of harsh and bleak rock n roll written by angry men who seek for the one thing they can’t get from a bullet to the head. The soundscapes in this album feels adventurous, vibrant and freeing. “Nothing in the Middle” rings in with bright colors in an emo-infused soundscapes. Something would never die. Something will always be alive. That’s the spirit of rock n roll and these ladies bring that young and tearful kind of spirit back.
“Crunch Went the Snow” dives into scenic immersion with unique melodies that paint a mood-filled sky. Drastic and intricate feelings are on a train of awakening. In crashing percussions and fleeting melodies, the song has an edge as well as a heart.
“Early River” surprises you with Green Day jumpy punk rhythm. The song immediately leaves a strong impression, drawing a parallel forestry folk aesthetic. “Don’t Count Me Out” returns to earthy acoustic rock ballad with a bend of indie. Rainy and moody, intimate and unapologetic. “Confidence” concludes the EP with a middle finger, announcing its uniqueness.
As a track that can be enveloped into any style or form, it keeps dancing its way from one idea to another. At one point, it bounces around with quirky chords. At another, it rumbles and flows, then it showers down in loud clangs, thunder and storm. Then the cinematic dance of vocal and piano kicks in, accompanied by a wooden backbeat.
Daniel de Boer ‘Out of Shadows’
Out of Shadows see a blossoming sonic exploration of the different shades of pop. From soft cottagecore ballads to forestry jungle phantom to tribal jazz and filmic epic, the album is a collage of vibrantly unique experiences. It reminds you of abstract paintings and story-soaked impressions that conveys mood, sophistication and the exchange of cultures and ideas into a sonic form. Out of Shadows is truly charismatic and mystical.
“Fly Away” spirals into the subtlety of pop and jazz. In the melodic ringing and soft groove of instruments, Daniel de Boer’s smooth and expressive is somewhere between spoken and sung words, between Thom Yorke aesthetic and Nina Simone’s soulfulness. “Closer” stumbles into the exuberant hidden corner of diverse landscapes with luscious world influences coming together. The track delivers quite a mind-opening experience with refreshing soundscapes and mystical phantoms in the recurrence of haunting, hypnotic backdrop. It’s interesting how smoothly difference influences are brought together, like a melting point, a bond is being discovered, as if an universal language that has always been in each and every one of them.
“Don’t Hold The Line” evokes a filmic, theatrical experience. The wonderful pop ballad is both cinematic and intimate. “Circles” swings back with even more fascinating jungle-esque groove. “Out Of Shadows” then tunes into its folkloric side, beaming with jazz aesthetic. “Mother Earth” returns with the familiar touch of cinematic ballad. Daniel de Boer takes you on a wild sonic adventure, yet at the same time, with so much comfort and and intimacy.
“Remember” ends on a hauntingly stirring note, threading through dance and film. Like poems made of sounds, the songs on Out of Shadows evoke those foreign yet ancient feelings that have been sleeping inside of us. Something you can’t quite pinpoint. The album delivers a mystical and shocking experience, connecting you with a side of yourself you don’t even know existed.
Punk Head: I love the diverse sonic adventures Out of Shadows takes listeners onto. What inspired you to create this project in the first place?
Daniel de Boer: Thank you so much. It had been a dream of mine for years to make an album with my own songs one day, but I never found the time for it due to my busy schedule as a freelance bass player. When the situation in the world changed drastically in 2020 I suddenly had a lot of time and in the summer of that year I started writing material for the album. The inspiration for the music came from events in my personal life and from what was happening in the world.
The vision to make a world music inspired pop album came one year later, in the summer of 2021. I had just moved to Valencia, Spain, to start my masters in contemporary performance at Berklee College of Music and that same summer I started working with Indian producer Shakthi Prasad. When I met him he told me he had just returned from being part of recording sessions for world music formation Bokanté, led by Snarky Puppy bassist Michael League, and his head was still full of the sound of instruments like oud and oriental percussion. I showed Shakthi my ‘poppish’ and ‘rockish’ demos and he suggested to try out a more ‘classy’ approach, as he called it, by for instance replacing drums with darbuka and frame drum and guitar with oud for certain songs. I liked the idea and we began approaching my musical friends from all around the world to ask if they wanted to record for us. All of them said yes and now musicians from thirteen countries play on the album, partly on traditional instruments.
PH: Is there any challenges you encountered during the making of this album?
De Boer: The process of making the album was rather smooth in general, but there were challenges for sure. We started the recordings in August of 2021 and it was still in a time of isolation and lockdowns and all that. Many of the recordings happened remotely, which in one way is convenient, but it also made it hard to create a cohesive sound for the record. Because the musicians were not in the same room when they recorded, it came down to Shakthi and me to bring all the different interpretations and sounds of the individual musicians together.
PH: Can you talk about any standout tracks on the album and what makes them special to you?
De Boer: For me, “Mother Earth” and “Closer” are standout tracks. “Closer” is probably my favourite song on the album, although it was the hardest one to finish. Shakthi and I didn’t really know where to go with it, until we had the chance to work with Nic Hard, producer and engineer for artists and bands like Snarky Puppy, Michael League and Becca Stevens. Nic suggested to keep the instrumentation very simple and add layers of tribal female vocals. We tried it and it worked.
“Mother Earth” also features a lot of female vocalists, but it has a more intimate and serene atmosphere. In many ways “Mother Earth” is the Polar opposite of “Closer.” The composition starts very small and gradually builds and opens up completely. The addition of the lyra and some subtle oriental percussion give the track a slightly unusual sound, which I like.
PH: What motivates you as an artist?
De Boer: I love being creative, whether it’s cooking, writing or making a painting. Music has always captivated me the most as an art form as it is so directly linked to our emotions and it can go straight to the heart. So, I guess the rewarding feeling of being able to express myself trough writing and playing music motivates me the most.
Besides that music has the incredible power to connect people. Even though we don’t always speak the same langue, we can all can understand the language of music. Connecting people from different backgrounds and cultures has always driven me and this is also an important facet of the Out of Shadows project.
PH: What would you like to say to your fans out there?
De Boer: Thank you so much for listening to Out of Shadows! I hope the music brings you joy, comfort and inspiration.
Trent-Jean “Cities Burning”
“Cities Burning” comes at you with its sharp edged blades of emotions, pouring down in fragments. Like a mirror’s broken, pieces scattering in all directions. The brokenness and torn is palpable in the spiraling and sprawling disorientation of sounds. Trent-Jean brings that mind-blowing multi-dimensional soundscapes into your ears, immersing you at the same time, hitting harder each time when its earworms of melodies come around, haunting you to the very core. “Cities Burning” is bleeding and intoxicating, highly addictive and heart-wrenching, carved into your brain.
As a song with magnificent, multi-layered audio-visual effect, the core strings all the way back to Trent-Jean’s brutal vulnerability. The song opens with an almost ideal, utopian greenery. Peaceful and liberating, but so soon, the storm wraps its tentacle around and hide that love and vision deeper and deeper until all there left is layers and layers of struggle and torture. Sonically, Trent-Jean constructed it all with sounds, which is quite impressive.
Inspired by a past love turned stone, “Cities Burning” is a chaotic epic revolving around the intensity of love, loss and redemption. Through sonic cinematic explosion, even in the turmoil, the soft core of tenderness is not lost. It seems to be the source of all the suffering, and it’s coiled into the melodies, being echoed throughout the song in waves.
Read our interview with Trent-Jean and learn more about the inspirations behind “Cities Burning.”
Punk Head: I love how "Cities Burning" takes listeners on an immersive and profound sonic experience. What's the story behind this single?
Trent-Jean: At the end of an early relationship of mine, as I watched the chemistry turn to unrequited love, I looked at my then girlfriend and said “this feels like my city is burning.”
PH: What do you like the best about this track?
Trent-Jean: What I love most about this track is the way Rob Grant (Poons Head Studios) masterfully co-produced, mixed and mastered it.
PH: Are there any specific musical or lyrical influences that played a role in the creation of this single?
Trent-Jean: Musically Josh Gallagher’s live drumming really ignited and inspired fire-cracker energy to the tune. Shoutout to the mighty!
And lyrically, I was inspired to using less cliché metaphors to articulate my emotions on the topic of love, loss, youth and atonement.
PH: What is your creative vision as an artist?
Trent-Jean: To create and present the best possible art I can do so in this lifetime.
PH: How is the music scene in Perth?
Trent-Jean: It is a healthy potpourri of styles. I’m fortunate that I found my tribe, which we call 9th-Dimension Records.
Torchbearer “Vindication”
Hard as nails, soaring, in-your-face hardcore—that only begins to describe the sonic majesty of “Vindication.” Dedicated to Torchbearer’s bassist Mo Bashir’s late brother, the track contemplates the depth of life and loss, subjects that are not often time discovered amongst heavy metal music. Torchbearer is committed to making their music as smashing and progressive as they are meaningful. Like “Vindication,” every song they make has a special and personal bond to them, and for the listeners, it’s a world better with their music. And when the song ends, it feels like something is missing.
The South UK metal outfit leaves quite an impression for the first times, but through the course of the entire song, they change your perspective of metal music. Yes, they deliver an overwhelmingly mind-blowing sonic experience, but what you remember about their music is mostly about how you connect to them. The tangled up emotions get to the surface. The dreams and demons are roaring free. They forge a space for these to breathe openly, and they untangle bone-deep experiences that leave a mark in your soul.
“Vindication” leads to their highly-anticipated forthcoming record Warrior, coming out later this year. The records cover much personal topics such as bereavement, anxiety, trauma, insecurity and self-accountability, but theme, as its name predicts, are about triumph and overcoming.
Sounds Like Jamie “Coming To You From The Man-Cave”
Coming To You From The Man-Cave sees a vibrant and whimsical blend of hip hop, jungle, rock and funk, weaving into a series of rare phenomena. Sounds Like Jamie pushes the envelop of genres with this album, in his pursuit of expressing the different tastes of life. Coming To You From The Man-Cave sees his creativity in a fierce rippling effect. From thought-evoking moments to encouragement to insight-sharing, Sounds Like Jamies navigates the overlooked moments in our daily life with wisdom and whims. Coming To You From The Man-Cave might not fit into your conventional expectation, but it’s full of charm.
Taking inspirations from a diverse group of artists such as Linkin Park, Beastie Boys, The Prodigy and Pendulum with drawing references from Nerdcore Hip-Hop and video games, Sounsd Like Jamies takes listeners to a stimulating audio-visual journey, immersing you with the unexpected and the bursting. Each track in this album is special. They delivers distinctive experiences, yet together, they convey a grand artistic vision that is unbending and unique.
Coming To You From The Man-Cave is the kind of art that leaves you feel uplifted and inspired. The sky doesn’t have a limit in this album. One’s potential can be limitless, only one has the spirit to challenge oneself. In a way, Coming To You From The Man-Cave is grounding—its ideas derived no further from our daily life, but in the form of art, it aims the stars.
Tyler Kamen ‘Bamboozle Tesseract’
Tyler Kamen is a creative genius, who never ceases to surprise. With 15 records and counting, Kamen is already onto his next adventurous trilogy, starting with Bamboozle Tesseract. Filled with eccentric, polyrhythmic madness and bombastic soundscapes, Bamboozle Tesseract spirals into the storm of a wild, dystopian nightmare, a mind-opening odyssey with awe-filled sceneries, unexpected twists, illusive suspense and danger in a futuristic world. The love of technology is intertwined with 80s’ retro aesthetic. Bamboozle Tesseract creates such strange and familiar experience, placing you into a world of mirrors that gazes into danger and future, yet still entangled with the past.
“Introduction - Future X” immediately evokes a mixture of warmth, bizarreness and a sense of belonging of a distant village, delving into the thematic title song. There’s so much life and heart in the pulsing melodies and reverberant rhythms that is hard for one to set oneself apart from the vibrant life form and society that exists in this distant land. A hint of strangeness and suspense that creep from the undertone still reminds you of its illusive nature. “Gnome City Labs” gives the first glimpse of potential danger. Despite the fatal mistake, Kamen weaves a perspective of awe and appreciation that makes you linger in this otherworldly world he creates in sounds. In destruction, one can’t help but being hit emotionally along.
With his long-loved guitar-driven texture scattered in the background, Bamboozle Tesseract evokes a distinct groove and atmosphere compare to Kamen’s previous offerings. The polyrhythmic maze opens up your body and mind to new adventures. It’s stirring and terrifying at first, but it’s like learning a new language, eventually, everything just cracks wide open and you’ll see a whole world hidden in there. There’s a entire civilization living in the maze of rhythms, codes of spirituality and intelligence in recurring themes. Bamboozle Tesseract is marvelous. The album intricately draws you a series of events down the timeline, at the same time, telling you everything about Gnome Village and its sudden, unexpected downfall. It puts you on the edge of your seat, just like watching a feature film in the theatre.
Read our interview with Kamen and learn more about the story behind Bamboozle Tesseract.
Punk Head: I love how you take the listeners on a wild sonic dream through Bamboozle Tesseract. Can you tell us more about the album?
Tyler Kamen: It is certainly a wild sonic dream (or should I say dystopian nightmare)! I completed a trilogy back in 2021 called The Spectacular Machine Trilogy where I was able to truly explore the realm of progressive rock and challenge myself to push my musical boundaries. I was determined to start a new trilogy and with that, my album Artichoke Pythagorum was born in the Spring of 2022. Bamboozle Tesseract is the second chapter of what has come to be known as The Vegetable Gnome Trilogy. Set 200 years after the events of Artichoke Pythagorum, the gnome village has now become a gnome metropolis known as Gnome City. When scientists at Gnome City Labs invent the Bamboozle Tesseract to create super vegetables, something goes terribly wrong and turns the vegetables into mutants that begin to terrorize the city. With the help of Detective Sheriff, the gnomes try to restore the city back to its former glory but fail as it is completely overrun by vegetable mutants. I wanted to push myself even further with this new trilogy, basing a lot of the writing around drums, bass, piano, synth, and horn lines instead of starting with guitar as I have typically done in the past. I also wanted to move in the direction of arranged musical passages instead of too many guitar solos, although there are still plenty of those scattered throughout the album. What came to fruition is a polyrhythmic puzzle where all the instruments are tangled together, thus leaving the listener almost BAMBOOZLED!
PH: As a prolific musician with a catalog of releases, what keeps you motivated?
Kamen: After 15 albums I keep finding ways to challenge myself and I guess that is the driving component to my motivation. I want to get better and better at making these albums and my insatiable search for the perfect record is what truly keeps me going. Pushing the boundaries of progressive rock and creating the most complex, but still accessible, product is my goal. I think David Bowie stated it best, “Always go a little further into the water than you feel you're capable of being. Go a little bit out of your depth and when you don't feel your feet are quite touching the bottom, you're just about in the right place to do something exciting”. I believe that if you are reaching unknown territory with your music and it feels as if it is coming from a pure, ultimately inspired place you are doing something special. Each record has left me with this exact feeling, and it is that exciting energy that keeps me coming back for more.
PH: Can you talk about any standout tracks on the album and what makes them special to you?
Kamen: “Gnome City Labs” was the first song I made for the album. It is what set the tone for the rest of the record, so it is definitely the most important track for this project. The use of dissonance and building these songs around the drums, keys and bass were pivotal in the direction of the album. From there I was inspired to make tracks like “Splitting Atoms” and “Are You Mutant?” that followed the same kind of bombastic arrangement and soundscape. The second most important track was the title track “The Bamboozle Tesseract” which uses a few recurring themes that I bring back throughout the album on tracks like “Intermission”, “Lights Over Zezop Way” and “Conclusion – Bamboozle Reprise”. There are other motifs that pop up between tracks like “Vegetable Medley” and “Cruciferous Creepers”, but there are others as well if you listen close enough. I really wanted this record to lean into the use of recurring themes like “Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” by Genesis or “Tommy/Quadrophenia” by The Who so it would feel like a cohesive story. I think with the tracks mentioned above, I was able to reach my goal and create a mini-prog rock opera of sorts. For the final album of this trilogy, coming out in late 2023, I am pulling a bunch of inspiration from these songs so I would say they are definitely the standouts of inspiration.
PH: Was there a pivotal moment in your life when you decided to follow your path as a musician?
Kamen: My parents have owned and operated Kamen Entertainment Group, Inc. for a few decades and have been my main inspiration for pursuing music. My mother, Marina Kamen aka MARINA and my father, Roy Kamen, have published hundreds of original songs and produced commercials for many huge companies. I pretty much lived in their recording facilities since I was a young lad, so music has always been a part of my DNA. When I was 11 years old, a friend of mine had purchased a guitar magazine and brought it to school. We geeked out over all the craziest looking guitars and the rest was history. I decided that I wanted to start learning guitar and produce tracks like my parents, so after asking for a guitar, they gave me an acoustic from the studio and I began my musical journey.
PH: Who would you most like to collaborate with, if it could be anyone in the world?
Kamen: It would be difficult to pick just one musician to collaborate with as I pull from a variety of influences, but my top picks would be Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, Trey Anastasio of Phish, David Byrne of Talking Heads, Peter Gabriel of Genesis, Ed Wynne of Ozric Tentacles and Frank Zappa.
Louise Distras ‘Beauty After Bruises’
Beauty After Bruises invites you into Louise Distras’ exuberant, retro sound land. Rich and full of layers, but in heart, it’s just good music. Distras has the voice of a power voice. Her genuine performance with tears in each powerful moments touch you deeply. She rocks these lyrics with all she has. Her music is alive. They aren’t just songs to sing, but to be experienced.
Beauty After Bruises reminds you of Avril Lavigne and Paramore with punches and attitude. Beauty After Bruises is fully entertaining and captivating. The songs on there are ear worms, but not the one to eat your brain out, but the kind that heals your wounds and nourish your heart.
With a Lana Del Rey kind of moodiness and nostalgia, Beauty After Bruises recalls a retro aesthetic and a charismatic blend of mood-filled, desert palettes and sultry soundscapes. Like the ocean and the desert coexist in every single song, it feels like the great California landscape permeating through the sound walls with a full smash of emo, rock and punk.
Every track is a fuzzy celebration on its own. There are stories to be heard, messages to be spread, words to be said. Like in “Hollywood Drug,” Distras speaks about the chase and illusion of fame and the creation of this illusion. “She fell broken on the street. City of angels. These streets are selling dreams, dreams that bleed your soul,” Distras sings. Her words pierce through the mice, speaking with much emotions.
“Hollywood drug made Marilyn Monroe. Lonely she weeps, weeps all alone. Cleansing her blood from a concrete star. Do you wanna be someone else?” Her words are thought-provoking like a memory-triggered time capsule that invites an overlap in time.
In “Time Heals Nothing,” she talks about wounds and shadows that can’t be erased. Her poetic lyrics always have feelings in the theme. “Your words are dreams from a thousand miles,” she sings on “Forever Is You.” “Today you’re gone with lies untrue. Take me with you. Take me with you.”
Beauty After Bruises is an album that takes you breath away. It has much potential in live performance—even in this studio album, you can imagine hearing the resounding echoes of captivating melodies coming from waves of crowds and having Distras’ vintage lovin’ sounds filling up the entire stadium—it’d be memorable.
Alec Berlin ‘Space Punk and Other Junk’
Bombastic, charismatic. Alec Berlin takes listeners to a galaxy far, far away in Space Punk and Other Junk. Vivid sonic palettes bring an 80s’ futurism in a smooth smash of vintage aesthetic to life. Retro and fantastic world-building blossoming in the captivating riff of “ba ba lum.” Like a flavorful cocktail under a night of spontaneity leading to many unexpected encounters, there’s plenty of charm and intoxicating sparks in this fictitious world of sounds.
Berlin essentially builds a society in Space Punk and Other Junk. Heartwarming and eccentric, awe-evoking and distant, but somehow, there’s a deep sense of belonging. Memories are made, connections are formed. There’s so much to love and remember on top of the swirling otherworldliness under the disco lights. “Man’s Best Friend” is an heartwarming track filled with eye-opening flamboyance, humor and fun-loving. “Beat Confabulator (All Night on the Floor)“ gets under your skin with sensory solos that remind you of killer dance moves that never cease to impress. “LaNoise” retreats into laid-back, lounge mode with bluesy notes and bending notes.
“Life in the Bog” then ventures into the dangerous underworld full of unknown and egotism. Scenic dissonance and dramatic distortion brings a shift to the view. “Flatbush Jaywalk” brings a kind of urgency, coolness and tangle from Bond movies. “President’s Day,” on the other hand, feels most personal. With foot-stomping intimacy and heartwarming intricacy, the track is entangled in emotions and thoughts.
There’s a different scene in every track and its beauty awaits for you to discover.
Read our interview with Berlin where we talk about Space Punk.
Punk Head: I love how “Space Punk” is a smash of futurism and vintage aesthetic. Tell me more about this track. Are there any images that pop into your head while you were working on creating the track?
Alec Berlin: Honestly, I thought a lot about Star Wars - the first one, that came out in 1977. I was a Star Wars kid, saw it an embarrassing amount of times in the theater, completely ate it up. I was the target audience. And I think they did a great job of, to use your phrase, “smashing futurism and vintage” - ‘cuz there were all of these spaceships (futuristic), but they were all beaten up, dented, dusty, etc (vintage). I mean - “A long time ago in a galaxy far far away” - it’s vintage right from the jump, but we’re bombarded with images that we associate with the future - laser beams and whatnot.
So I had that in mind a lot when I was working on the track “Space Punk” in particular, and on all the songs on this record in general.
PH: Can you talk about any standout tracks on the album and what makes them special to you?
Berlin: Not really. They all surprised me, at each step of the way - writing, performing, recording, mixing. The thing I kept an eye (and ear) out for was if I found myself thinking “You know what would be cool? What if I tried THIS?” If that thought arises, that’s a pretty good indication that you are tuned in to your muse, you are reaching for things that feel true and honest and exciting to yourself. I definitely had that experience on the song “Man’s Best Friend” - the section in the middle that sort of references the Jackson 5. Or in the weirdo chord changes on LaNoise. Or the high-pitched, whistle-like melody on “Patchen Avenue”. Or the layered guitars at the end of “What I Wish I Had Said”. I could go on, but those are all examples of times when I listened really closely to my instincts - and it paid off!
PH: How does this album reflect your growth as an artist?
Berlin: Well. The previous 2 albums that I released both had lyrics and singing. And in fact I wrote a 3rd album that I didn’t actually record - it too had lyrics and singing. I might get around to recording some or all of that material some day. But for whatever reason, when I set out to write this music, I wanted to simplify the creative process, so I just bypassed the step of writing lyrics. I think a lot (most? all?) of these songs COULD have lyrics, but I wanted the challenge of creating a listening experience that is every bit as compelling and diverse as if there were a singer - except I didn’t want to have a singer.
So in that way, it’s completely different from the previous records that I made. (Well, I also made a jazz record, called “Crossing Paths” - that too is an instrumental album, but in that case I really approached it like a live performance. In this case I didn’t want to do that. And I didn’t want to adhere to a particular idiom.)
PH: Can you tell us more about you as an artist?
Berlin: Sincere. Either lazy or driven, depending on the day you ask me. I have a tremendous amount of faith in my taste. That’ll steer your ship through all kinds of rough seas.
PH: What would you like to tell your supporters out there?
Berlin: Listen to my music! Space Punk and Other Junk has 12 songs, they’re all available on all streaming platforms. Check them out, click “like”, “follow”, etc, and TELL YOUR FRIENDS! Thanks!
Louis And The Shakes “sorry.x”
Louis and the Shakes return with dark majesty, smashing a grungier, heavier sensuous soundscapes in pair with pop sensibility—“Sorry.X” marks the first single released from their forthcoming EP, Everything That Glitters Isn’t Gold. Unlike anything you have heard before, this is the new era of Louis and the Shakes.
Diving deep into metal health issues such as anxiety and sobriety, “Sorry.X” finds Louis and the Shakes at their most unapologetic. With deeply vulnerable lyrics touching on heavy topics, exposing them to their vulnerability and brutal honesty, “Sorry.X” is nothing like what fans have previously heard from this band before. Unshakable darker tone, droning through punches and hard-hitting sonics, “Sorry.X” sheds light to the real struggles that many people experience but are afraid to talk about. And Everything That Glitters Isn’t Golden certainly doesn’t shy away from difficult discussions.
Sonically, “Sorry.X” is immersive and explosive as it can be. Its expressiveness gets under your skin, while in its dark and explosive sonics, one finds comfort and catharsis.